Every year, 1.5 million Americans incur head injury; the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have further increased this number. Head injury affects people of all ages and is the leading cause of death, long-term disability, and economic cost to society. While there are many aspects to head injury, the most urgent problem that must be detected and treated promptly within the first “Golden Hour” is brain bleeding, or an intracranial hematoma. Forty percent of head trauma victims on the battlefield develop brain bleedings.

Giga-tronics (San Ramon, CA) offers the GT-8555A 100 MHz to 20 GHz USB Peak Power Sensor, which provides fully calibrated peak and average power measurements, with a high dynamic range and PC-based user interface. The power sensor delivers 20 GHz frequency range, 2,000 readings per second typical, dynamic range of –40 to 20 dBm and VSWR of 1.2:1. It includes the MeasurementXpress (MX) software and a suite of measurement capabilities.

The process of monitoring blood glucose levels through finger pricking is an inconvenience at best for the estimated 26 million diabetics in the U.S. It's no mystery why researchers have continued to set their sights on developing more convenient and less invasive methods of monitoring glucose levels, including tear-based glucose sensors and non-intrusive contact lenses. Now, Brown University researchers are throwing their hats in the ring with a new kind of biochip that could allow diabetics to monitor their glucose levels using saliva.

A Microsoft Research Connections project proposes to develop a contact lens that monitors blood glucose levels for type 1 diabetes patients. Other non-invasive alternatives to the finger-pricking method have also been explored elsewhere — such as this tear-based glucose sensor from Arizona State University, featured in MDB last June. According to Microsoft, this is representative of a trend toward Natural User Interface (NUI) technologies — technologies that aim to provide benefits to users without being intrusive. A new device on the market, the YumaLite, also appears to fit into this category.

A variety of silicon-fabricated devices is used in medical applications such as drug and cell delivery, and DNA and protein separation and analysis. In applications such as drug delivery from implantable devices, the silicon device structure must have superior precision. In particular, the nano-channel size in implantable drug delivery membranes strongly determines the drug release from the implanted reservoir. An accidental difference in the nano size may translate into ineffective medical treatment or dangerous overdosing.

Rohde & Schwarz (Columbia, MD) has developed the R&S®RTO Series of advanced digital oscilloscopes that feature low frontend noise to allow the analysis of extremely small signals. The scope provides a gain range of one-millivolt per division and also provides overdrive recovery to eliminate distortion and ensure high signal fidelity. It is suitable for biomedical measurements based on its low noise front-end performance and A/D converter to deliver accurate signal acquisition. The scope uses a real-time digital trigger that does not need to re-arm, which means that every sample can trigger data acquisition, avoiding missed events.

Astro-Med (West Warwick, RI) has introduced the Dash® MX, a lightweight and compact portable data acquisition system designed and engineered for capturing high frequency data and transient signals as well as long term trending. The standard version records up to 8 channels of isolated voltage inputs to an internal 320 GByte hard drive at sample rates up to 200 KHz per channel. High frequency data captures can be saved directly to hard drive for review and post analysis. Includes support for IRIG time codes A, B & E. It is equipped with a 12" color display for intuitive touchscreen control as well as real-time data viewing and analysis. The system is built into a compact (13.25"L × 12"W × 5.3"H), lightweight (20 lbs. including input modules), and rugged case for field or lab use. It operates on 100 to 264 VAC and includes an internal rechargeable battery for power backup and up to 30 minutes of operation.

Henkel (Dusseldorf, Germany) has developed the LOCTITE AssureCure system, designed to detect, measure, analyze, record, and provide a degree of cure metric relative to the transition of specially formulated adhesives from a liquid to a solid (Cured). The system includes new adhesive technology, fiber optic light sources, light detector unit, and software that ties into the user’s PC or PLC. Results can be displayed numerically, corresponding to the degree of cure, or as a pass/fail measurement. For medical device applications, LOCTITE AssureCure adhesives meet ISO 10993 biocompatibility requirements.

Systems for monitoring vital signs while driving could help measure stress levels, among other health parameters — effectively "driving" the concept of multi-tasking to a new level. By integrating sensors into the steering wheel, scientists at TU Muenchen Chair of Micro Technology and Medical Device Technology (MiMed) have managed to circumvent the laborious wiring of the driver. The data collected is radioed to a microcontroller, which in turn can show the measurement results on the vehicle information system display.

In yet another example of how medical technology designed for humans in space can also benefit humans on Earth, Radisens Diagnostics (Cork, Ireland) recently announced that it will be working with the European Space Agency to develop a blood testing device. According to the press release, the ESA contracted the company to add a thyroid test to their point-of-care device and wants to use the device as a way to provide astronauts with instant, laboratory-grade results for myriad health conditions.

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Christopher Scott

To find out more about the expertise that Eurofins brings to this area, and the company's plans for expansion into the United States, Medical Device Briefs recently spoke with Christopher Scott, vice president of Eurofins Medical Device Testing.